Poitras Skates With Broken Nose, Faces Game-Time Call at Penguins Thursday

Featured image: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, where the Bruins face the Penguins on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026 (file photo). Photo: Jleedev, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Matt Poitras practiced Wednesday at Warrior Ice Arena in a full bubble shield after breaking his nose Monday against Vegas, and the Boston Bruins (11-4-1) say he will travel for Thursday’s 7 p.m. ET game at the Pittsburgh Penguins while remaining day-to-day. The Bruins Poitras update arrives alongside signs that rookie defenseman Frederic Brunet is lined up to leave the press box, after skating with Mason Lohrei in recent practices, according to the Bruins’ practice report.

Poitras’ broken nose and the Bowman major

In the second period Monday, Golden Knights forward Braeden Bowman elbowed Poitras in the face as the 22-year-old carried the puck through the neutral zone. Poitras left bleeding, returned to the bench in a bubble for the third period but did not take another shift, and Boston went on to a 3-2 shootout win over Vegas, Boston.com reported. Bowman received a five-minute major for elbowing and a game misconduct. The NHL Department of Player Safety did not add supplemental discipline.

Poitras missed Tuesday’s practice to have his nose reset, then skated the full Wednesday session. “It’s new. Never worn [a bubble shield] before, so it’s different,” he said in the Bruins practice report. “It’s better. I got my nose reset, and I can breathe out of it again. But mostly just breathe through my mouth.” He also told Boston.com there “was a lot of blood coming out” on the play and that he spoke with Bowman afterward, calling it “an unlucky play” between former Guelph Storm junior teammates.

Head coach Marco Sturm left Thursday’s lineup open: “We will see. He stayed out there for the whole practice, so I guess it’s a good thing. We will see how it is tomorrow, and we will go from there.” Sean Kuraly is a candidate to center the fourth line if Poitras cannot go, Boston.com noted. At Wednesday’s practice, Kuraly took fourth-line rushes with Poitras working as an extra, while Jonathan Aspirot and Connor Clifton were the extra defensemen, The Hockey News reported, citing team reporter Belle Fraser. Our Bruins-Penguins preview framed the matchup before these practice details.

Brunet’s reset and a likely path back in

Brunet, 23, has been a healthy scratch since the 2-1 loss at Carolina on Oct. 27. He has four points (one goal, three assists) in 10 games and averaged 16:24 of ice time in that stretch, per Boston.com. Sturm called the sit-out a reset after Brunet’s Carolina game, when a turnover behind the net led quickly to a Hurricanes goal.

“It’s weird to be out of the lineup for a week or so,” Brunet said in the club practice report. “Just being upstairs and watching the game from up top, you can take a lot of stuff. I think I did a pretty good job of that. … I think my game in Carolina was not good enough and I knew that.” He has skated on the third pair with Lohrei in Boston’s last two practices, the club said, a pairing Boston.com noted has outscored opponents 6-2 in 125:37 of 5-on-5 ice time this season.

Sturm said young defensemen can feel “too comfortable” and that he wanted to protect Brunet while reinforcing details. Brunet’s focus in practice, he said, is quicker decision-making and cleaner touches. With eight healthy defensemen pushing for ice time, any return Thursday would come in a deep blue-line group that has been one of Boston’s early-season strengths.

By the numbers: record and Brunet’s scratch streak

Boston enters Thursday at 11-4-1. Pittsburgh is 5-8-2 overall and was listed at 4-2-1 at home in preview materials from FOX Sports and ESPN. The Penguins have gone 1-2-1 in four straight one-goal games, including a 3-2 loss to Vegas on Tuesday, and Evgeni Malkin could return to their lineup, CBS Sports reported Thursday. The chart below separates the Bruins’ win-loss-OT profile from Brunet’s 10 games played and three consecutive healthy scratches since Carolina.

Poitras’ availability is a separate game-time track from Brunet’s. If both land in the lineup, Boston would restore a center who has been in the mix all season and a rookie defenseman Sturm has already used for more than 16 minutes a night. If Poitras sits, the bubble work still signals a short-term management plan rather than a long absence, based on Sturm’s Wednesday comments and Poitras finishing the full practice.

Thursday at PPG Paints Arena

Puck drop is 7 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh. The Bruins are coming off the Vegas shootout win that cost Poitras the rest of Monday night and a practice day. The Bruins did not hold a morning skate in Pittsburgh on Thursday, and Sturm was scheduled to meet the media about 90 minutes before puck drop, Boston Hockey Now reported, so official lines and a final call on Poitras will come close to game time. After Pittsburgh, Boston has two days off before hosting Florida on Sunday afternoon. TV and the rest of the trip are listed on the Bruins schedule hub.

Sources

• NHL.com/Bruins: Practice Report — Brunet prepares for Pittsburgh, Poitras talks injury (Nov. 4, 2026)
• Boston.com: It’s been a painful couple of days for Bruins’ Matt Poitras
• FOX Sports: Bruins take on the Penguins following shootout victory
• Sportsnet: Bowman not facing additional discipline for elbowing Poitras

Additional sources

• Boston Hockey Now: Bruins Game 17 notes, lines and how to watch vs. Penguins
• The Hockey News: Bruins’ young forward dealing with broken nose
• CBS Sports: Bruins visit Penguins after string of one-goal games
• Wikimedia Commons: PPG Paints Arena file photo (CC BY-SA 4.0)